Philippines Football League champions United City FC dug deep to mount a second half comeback to defeat Chinese Super League side Beijing FC, 3-2, to secure their first AFC Champions League win last Thursday, 08 July 2021 at the Lokomotiv Stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Goals from Mark Hartmann and Bienvenido Marañon handed United City a memorable win to give them their first three points in Group I.
However the win did not come easy for United City. With a shorthanded squad, United City fell to a 0-2 deficit in the opening minutes of the match after Jiang Wenhao and Leng Jixuan scored for the Chinese side.
The scoreline did not deter United City heading into the second half. Hartmann, who came on as a substitute in the 52nd minute, sparked the comeback with a free kick in the 59th minute.
Marañon, whose naturalization as a Filipino citizen was finalized last Wednesday, netted the equalizer 10 minutes later. The forward was at the right place at the right to slot home the rebound after Hartmann’s initial free kick was saved.
Looking for a winner late in the match, Hartmann completed the turnaround with only 10 minutes remaining. An inviting through ball from Schrock allowed Hartmann the time and space to score the winner.
United City wrap up their maiden AFC Champions League campaign against Korean side Daegu FC on Sunday, 11 July 2021.